FAA halts flights at DC airports over ‘strong smell’ at control tower

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops for several Washington, D.C.-area airports on Friday evening.
• The ground stops were initiated due to a "strong smell" reported at the Potomac Consolidated Terminal RADAR Approach Control (TRACON) in Warrenton, Virginia.
• Affected airports included Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International, Baltimore-Washington International, Charlottesville–Albemarle, and Richmond International.
• While ground stops for Dulles and BWI were lifted by 8:15 pm, they remained in place for Reagan National Airport.
• This incident follows a similar event two weeks prior at the same control center, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed to an overheated circuit board.

IN FULL

Washington DC area airports face ground stops over odor at air traffic control tower